I am personally shocked that all 3 courts in Italy upheld the hotel's right to refuse free tap water and instead force a charge for plastic bottled water.
Do you think the same thing would happen in your country?
Does the law now always side with corporate greed over essential human rights?
We all know that Amazon customer service has disappeared down the toilet over the last decade. Here is how I got what I wanted during my last purchase disaster:
I purchased Planet Earth 3 4k from Amazon but they sent me what was clearly a used version, unwrapped and with fingerprints all over the discs and a scratch on one disc.
I tried the automated helpline and kept getting funnelled into a basic return loop where I need to put in all the effort and all I get at the end is a voucher for the original cost.....but, of course, Amazon now have it at $22 more.
I keep pressing buttons suggesting weird and obscure questions until I am finally, FINALLY given the option to converse with an actual human customer representative.
I explain my situation and 'Jason' tells me how sorry he is and how he understands my frustration...but then says the only option is a return for refund of original price.
I remain calm (and this is crucial folks!) and explain how i am not holding him responsible and I know he is doing a difficult job but I am saddened by the lack of support available to a valued customer like myself. I also explain that the price has now increased and I am very busy at work and it will be very inconvenient to go through the process of physically returning it and I feel like as Amazon is at fault, they should be rewarding my loyalty rather than effectively pnishing me. Yep, that's right - I whine. Politely.
Suddenly, more options become available to Jason Vorhees, and he tells me I DON'T have to return my defective purchase and that he is going to give me a full refund. AND a voucher for the price increase difference.
I express my gratitude and tell him what a good job he is doing and promise to praise him in the survey.
So, there you go. That's my experience. Demand to converse with a human, treat them well, don't let them give you their first and weakest offer and you may be pleasantly rewarded.
This sending out of unchecked returns as new is becoming EXTREMELY common at Amazon, and it is a rotten, mean-spirited business practice. Don't accept it, but be careful how you engage with them if you want a good result.
When Audible started up in Australia we got similar deals and offers to the original US version. Even in 2025, they regularly offered trial subs of $1 a month for the first 3 months and you always got to keep every book you bought with their tokens.
Now they've mostly transitioned to a standard version where you don't get to keep the books you buy with tokens if you EVER stop subscribing, and the only trial on offer is for this awful 'standard' version.
This isa terrible service and is now even worse than the Aussie version of Amazon, which is pretty awful itself. Avoid renting books from these dodgy dealers and use your local library instead.
When you are in the initial 12 month period on jobseeker using Workforce Australia Online, you have to do an in person or an online workplace skills workshop, basically 3 weeks of resume building and other such stuff in order to keep getting your payments.
My question is what are the ABSOLUTE minimum requirements for these courses as far as Workforce Australia is concerned?
Is my jobseeker payment safe as long as I attend every morning and afternoon session and diligently input the attendance codes provided into the WA app? (and then log off or fall asleep!)
Or will my payment be suspended if I am not sufficiently enthusiastic towards my tutor, or if I don't answer my tutor's interview questions satisfactorily, or if I fail to deliver a presentation or submit a tailored resume?
In other words, do i have to be a Lisa or can I be a Bart?!
When you are in the initial 12 month period on jobseeker using Workforce Australia Online, you have to do an in person or an online workplace skills workshop, basically 3 weeks of resume building and other such stuff in order to keep getting your payments.
My question is what are the ABSOLUTE minimum requirements for these courses as far as Workforce Australia is concerned?
Is my jobseeker payment safe as long as I attend every morning and afternoon session and diligently input the attendance codes provided into the WA app? (and then log off or fall asleep!)
Or will my payment be suspended if I am not sufficiently enthusiastic towards my tutor, or if I don't answer my tutor's interview questions satisfactorily, or if I fail to deliver a presentation or submit a tailored resume?
In other words, do i have to be a Lisa or can I be a Bart?!